Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1887-02-16
MORE OF It.
Continuation of President Cleyeland's
Reasons for VetOing the Depend.
ent Pension Bill.
THE MESSAGE.

THE MESSAGE.
saturday morning the wires were work
ing badly, and The MINER was only able t,
print the first hall of the message. Tn
following is the conclusion of it'll
The section allowing this pension doe
however require, beside the service of thre,
months and an honorable discharge, tina
those seeking the benefit of this act shall
be such las are now, or may hereafter be
suffering from mental or physical disability
not the result of their own vicious habit
OF gross carelessness. which incapacitatel
them for the performance OF labor in such
a degree as to render them unable to carr
a support, and who are dependent upor
making a proof Of the fact" shall be placed
on the list Of invalid pensioners of the
United States, and be entitled to receive
for such total inability to procure thei1
subsistence by daily labor, $12 a month
and such pensisn shall commence from the
date OF the filing of the application in the
pension office. upon proof that the disa
| bility then existed and continues to exist
provided that persons who are now re-
| ceiving pensions under existing laws, Oh
whose claims are pending in the pension
office, may, by application to the commits.
| sioner of pensions, in such form as he may
prescribe, receive the benefit OF the act.
It is manifestly of the utmost impor-
tance that the statutes relative to the pen
sion laws should be literally administered,
as measures OF ~benevolence in behalf oil
worthy beneficiaries, and should admit oil
4 M p1Ncprfoi nfv a G tn fhuir nonoru1 nhion<o
and consequences. Upon a careful consid-
Grafton OF the language OF the above sec.
ton. it seems to me to be so uncertain,
and liable to such conflicting constructions,
and to be subject to such unjust and mis-
chie"ous application, as to alone furnish
sufficient ground for disappearing the pro-
posed legislation. Persons seeking to OBJ
tain the pension provided by this section
must be now, or hereafter, first, be suffer-
ing from mental or physical disa ability, and,
second, such disability must not be the
result of their own vicious habits or gross
carelessness. They must be dependent
proof of these conditions they shall be
placed on the list of invalid pensioners of
the United States, and be entitled to $12
per month.
1t is probable that the words last quoted,
''such total inability to procure their sub
~sistence by daily labor" qualities the con-
ditions provided in the preceding language
of the section. The 'total inability" epo-
ken of must be such Inability" that is,
inability already described and constituted
by conditions already detailed in previous
parts of the section. Who is to determine
whether the man loansit or has it not? Is
the government to enter the homes of claim
ants for pension, and after an examination
~ fhn o,,~w0,,nIsr~ n-I n,-~,~~--.-~
settle these quentions? Shall the govern
ment say to one man hat his manner OF
subsistence by his earnings is support, and
to another that his earnings do not furnish
a support? An attempt, however honest,
to administer this law in such a manner
would necessarily produce more unfairness
and unjust discrimination, and give more
chance for partisan Partially, and
would result in more perversion of the gov
ernment's benevolent intentions, than the
execution OF this statute ought to permit
II, in the effort to carry out the proposed
a degree OF disability, as related to
the earnings be considered, for the purpose
discovering in what way it ~curtails the
sound, should earn, and to which he is en-
titled, we enterthe broad field long occupied
by the pension bureau; and we recognize as
the only difference between the proposed
legislation and the previous laws passed
Tor the benefit OF the surviving soldiers of
the civil war, the incurrence in one case of
in the military service, and in
the other OF disabilities existing, but in no |
way connected with or resulting from such |
service.
1t must be borne in mind that in no case |
is there a grading Of this proposed pension.
Under the operation of the rule first sugges-
ted, if there IS lack, in any degree, great or
small, OF ability to earn such support az
Int should have, and by appli-
cation OF the rule secondly suggested, if
there is a reduction in any degree of the
support which he might earn, all are enti-
lied to a pension Of $12. In the latter
case and under the provisions OF the pro-
posed bill permitting persons o receiving
pensions to be admitted to the benefits OF
ts acts, I don't see how those on pension
oils for disabilities incurred in thu service,
md which deminlshes their earning capa.
can be denied the pension provided in
his bill. OF course none will apply who
ire receiving $12 or maybe more per
we're on the pension rolls 2O2, 621 persons
vho we're receiving fifty-eight different rates
II pensions, from 81 to $11.75 per month.
these, tw~enty-eight were receiving 80
'er month; sixty-three, 81 per month;
1924, Sc per month, and 5O,2S4 at a
otal OF So per month.
As to the meaning of the section of the
ill under consideration. there appears to
ave been quite a difference OF opinion
!mong it's advocates in Congress. The
hartman of the committee on pensions in
he House Of Representatives, who re-
'orted the bill. declared that in it there
'as no provision for pensioning anyone
Tho has less disability than total dis
.bility. The chairman OF the committee
n pensions, having charge of the bill, an
.ounced in the Senate, and declared thatit
.ot only embraced all soldiers totally dis
,bled, but, in his judgment, all who are dis
.bled to any considerable extent; such
was substantially given to
he bill by a distinguished senator. who,
8 a former secretary of the interior, had
imposed on him the duty of executing the
ension laws, and determining their intent
nd meat ing.
Another condition required OF claimants
nder this act is that they be dependent
pom their daily labor for support" This
which may be said to assume
hat there exists within the reach OF the
ersons mentioned labor" or ability in
ome degree to work, is more aptly used in ,
he statute in describing those not wholly
OF this ability than in which it
calls with those utterably unable to work. ,
am of the opinion that it may fairly be
ontended that, under the provisions OF
lis section. any soldier whose faculties of
ind or body have become impaired by &C. !
dent, disease or age, irrespective OF his :
'rvice, and who, by his labor only, is left
of gaining a fair support, and
no might, with unimpaired powers, have
for himself, and who is not so
ell endowed with this worlds goods as to
We without work, may claim to partici- ]
ate in it's benefits. 1t is not required he {
lould be without property, but only '
lat labor should be necessary to his sup 9
ort in some degree; nor is it required he t
lould. Be now receiving support from
Believing this to be the proper interpre-
of the bill, l cannot but remember '
lat the soldiers in our civil war, in their 6
~ and bounty, received such compensa- '
on for military services as has never been
ceived by soldiers before, since mankind
to war; that never before, on behalf
any soldiers, have SO many and such /
nervous laws been passed, to relieve them 5
the incidents of war; that statutes o
I've been pas ed giving them the preference
all public EMPLOYMENT: that the needy